Online Education Offers a Flexible Experience

The 2013 Commencement program welcomes 140 students who have taken classes through
Webster's online program. Graduates discuss how the flexibility of online education
aided their success.

ST. LOUIS, May 8, 2013 - Job transfers, family needs and work obligations can make
it difficult for some students to complete their master's degree. Fortunately, technology
is stepping in to make the process a little easier through online education.

David Rogers, Malene Cortelius and Steven Moya are just three of the 140 students
graduating from Webster's online programs attending the St. Louis commencement ceremony
on May 11, 2013.

“I began coursework at the home campus but demands from my full-time job kept me from
being able to make it to class,” said Rogers who is graduating with an MBA. “I withdrew
from the course and didn't take classes for almost two years while I worked in a very
demanding job. I realized that online classes could give me the flexibility to learn.
I would not have been able to regularly make it to a classroom in any single city
over the past three years. Over this time, I have finished my degree entirely through
online classes.”

Webster University first began offering online courses and programs in the fall of
1999. The online program now offers 19 graduate degrees, five undergraduate degrees
and five certificate programs. Three undergraduate degree completion programs will
be added to the program this summer. During the 2012-2013 academic year, about 9,200
Webster students took at least one online course. While some take a mixture of online
and classroom courses, more than 4,000 of these students take only online courses.

The flexibility of online courses was an important factor to Malene Cortelius who
is earning a master's degree in communications. Cortelius completed both a bachelor's
and master's degree in Denmark before moving to Princeton, N.J. Not knowing how long
she was going to be staying in the U.S., she looked exclusively at online programs
after deciding to obtain an additional master's degree in America.

“Only online programs can facilitate the needs of a globalized workforce,” said Cortelius.
“I completed my studies while living in Princeton, Copenhagen, and Zurich. Who would
have known that life would take me to three countries while working on my MA at Webster
University in St. Louis?”

Steven Moya is receiving a master's degree in procurement and acquisitions and was
able to continue working on his degree even while in Iraq serving in the U.S. Army.

“I was deployed in Iraq through several classes and at times I would have to plan
two to three weeks ahead based off my military mission in order to do my part in class
discussions and or complete assignments,” said Moya.

“We know that this flexibility is a necessity in today's working world,” said Elizabeth
Stacey, manager of student services in Webster University's Online Learning Center.
“Students need a program that fits into their professional life and directly relates
to the work that they are doing. Our students are able to learn with others from around
the world and have that necessary global interaction while still being able to be
at their office the next morning.”

David Rogers said that the flexibility allowed him to tailor his class selection and
schedule to best fit into his career.

“I was able to take management classes when I assumed supervision of a team,” said
Rogers. “I took a statistics class when my work demanded more knowledge of data interpretation
and I was able to take the most labor intensive classes when I knew the workload in
my job would be lighter.”

While the materials that students learn is the same as in a traditional classroom,
the online process is different from what most students are accustomed to. Course
work is organized in a web-based program by weeks and it is the student's responsibility
to log in, complete the assignments and tests and take part in the classroom discussions.

“There is a stigma of a social void with online learning and that is totally not true,”
said Moya. “I found that the other students posted meaningful discussions and we were
able to really delve into the different aspects of the subject being studied.”Malene Cortelius said that the online learning environment wasn't a difficult transition
to make even though she'd previously only studied in a classroom setting, “Although
online learning was new to me, in today's world, everyone communicates using electronic
systems and the online system at Webster University works like any other. I quickly
got used it.”

“In an online learning environment the student must be proactive. The student must
take full responsibility for learning,” said Rogers. “Education in any form is a personal
endeavor. Whether you're being lectured to in a classroom or you're watching videos
and studying a textbook in an online course, the responsibility is always on the student.”

In addition to the knowledge that students gain from higher education, there are additional
financial benefits. A report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers said
that those with a graduate degree have a median income of $68,064, about one-third
more than those with a bachelor's degree.

“I work in the nonprofit sector and after a few months into my degree, I obtained
another position that was a 28 percent increase in pay,” said Rogers. “I am confident
that my MBA played a large role in that. I consider my MBA to be a toolkit. It has
equipped me with the tools to be successful in my career.”

These students and more than 140 others will be attending the third annual reception
honoring graduates of online programs on Friday, May 10 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Commencement takes place on Saturday, May 11 at the The Muny in Forest Park.